Unfailing love...

My, my, my, Abba Daddy, you sure have been layin' it on me this week!! I thank you for loving me enough to speak to me!! You are amazing!

Oh yeah, I forgot ya'll are reading this too! haha I've been doing the Romans study online by Beth Moore. I'll be honest that it has been QUITE heavy at times so I took a couple of weeks off. I needed some time to process it all. It's funny because I never really thought I was one of "those" people. I used to think that I either got it or I didn't and then move on. Maybe that explains alot!! OUCH!!

So anyway, we're on week 21 - yes I said week 21 - and guess where we are? Romans 5:1-8!!!! See why I needed a break?! She started this back in June and I doubled up some to get caught up but land sakes ya'll - GOOD STUFF!!! WHOA! So this week I've been talking with a friend about how much our earthly dad's represented God to us in our lives. DEEEEEEP stuff! So yesterday I sit down and we're on these precious verses in chapter 5. Ya'll know how Beth does things. She'll take either a word or a phrase and give you such a fresh insight that you'll truly believe those words were NOT in your Bible before! Even if they're underlined, highlighted and everything else! (Ok, I know it's God doing that, NOT Beth, but ya'll know what I meant, right?!) So I'll just share a few of the notes I took instead of trying to tell you everything.

"We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand." Rom 5:1b-2 Consider that grace is more than just a gift from God or something God does but grace is a physical place. A wide open spacious place! How different could my life be if I could stand in grace? How different could my relationships be if I could choose to stand in the place of grace? Where do I go when the enemy tries to squeeze me into a corner of fear, depression or hurt? I go stand in the openness of grace! See what I mean ya'll, GOOD STUFF!

Here's where it really gets good! Rom 5:5"And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." Ok. She give us Four Confessions of Divine Affection - in other words four things we can know FOR SURE about God's love.
1 - God is PERFECT love.
2 - Nothing can separate me from God's love.
3 - God pours His perfect love into my imperfect heart.
4 - When accessed, (God's perfect love) I can love anyone thru anything!!
Ok, ya'll, I'm so excited about this that I can barely get my fingers to move fast enough! Ya'll remember this is from Beth Moore it's not mine! (don't want any credit for this!) Love isn't something God does or feels and circumstances or behaviors don't affect it - It's part of WHO HE IS! It's His Divine DNA! There can never be anything big enough or anything bad enough that I do to change that about God! I was NEVER good enough to do something BAD ENOUGH to mess up God's love for me! Does anyone else get that?! I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH GOD'S LOVE!!! I can't change it, I can't be worthy of it, I can't control it! It's WHO HE IS!!!! Somebody wants to shout!! YYAAAHHHHHOOOOOOOO-JAH!!!

Ok, Prov. 19:22a says "What a man desires is unfailing love". Now what was #1? God is PERFECT (unfailing)love. So since God is the ONLY ONE capable of giving me what I desire most - unfailing, perfect love - why can't I let some of the people in my life off the hook?! Ok, go back and read that again! Really, do it!!! My HUSBAND will never give me unfailing, perfect love! My PARENTS (remember the conversation I'd been having with my friend this week - WOOOOOHOOOO) will never give me unfailing, perfect love!! My KIDS will never give me unfailing, perfect love! No human being anywhere on this planet will EVER be able to give me what my heart desires MOST!!! That job is left SOLELY to the One who "demonstrates his own love for me(us) in this: While I(we) was(were) still a sinner(s), Christ died for me(us)." Hold on ya'll, gotta go run a praise lap!!!!!..........

Here's one of the last things I'll leave with you. I'll quote Beth here "We will never love well if we do not feel well loved." I can't love my man, my kids, my family, my friends, anyone well unless I get it thru my thick skull that while I was yet a sinner, Christ died for me to show my unlovable self how much God the Father agape's me!!!! How much He agape's you!!!! All He asks is to love Him in return and to love my neighbor as myself! And not just say "Oh, love ya in Jesus" but to love them even if it's a sacrifice to myself. In fact, there's no greater offering to the Father than to love someone who is unlovable. After all...it's what He did for me!!!

Ok, gotta go run some more......

(Forgot one thing first, I didn't mention that the title to my God Calling yesterday morning was "Perfect Love" NO LIE!!! I read that BEFORE I listened to the study! Then today's title was "Depression" and I'll share a few lines with you. "Depression is the impression left by fear. Fight and conquer, and Oh! for Love of Me, for the sake of My tender, never-failing Love of you, fight and love and win." Does that kill you?! I just love God-stops in my life!!! WOOOHOOOO!!!)